Currently Viewing: airfield

Not dead, not given up exploring, although I am totally sick of all the ‘Look At Me’ narcissists out there who are falling over themselves to show off sites in order to get praise from their peers.Is it possible to be an actual ‘Insecure Willy Waver’….?I’ve just been away doing stuff that I’m either not going to publish myself or I have been asked/ordered not to publish. I’m cool with both of those as I have nothing to prove to anybody and the fun is in the actual exploring, not showing off Trophy Pix.

Some lame crap I can post here (just to show some activity…) is some stills from a WW2 Operations Block shot back in October. We were there testing GoPro POV camera’s before and after a firmware upgrade that seems to have screwed them up somewhat. I seem to have lost the video footage we shot someplace but when I locate the files I will add them to this post.

It’s a shame about the state of this place, the local Chav morons seem to like trashing the place and holding raves in here from time to time, even knocking down a bricked up entrance to get their lame PA and Lighting Rig in here. Sadly the world will always be full of shitheads polluting the gene pool, its a fact of life.

I don’t profess to be any kind of expert on airfields, not even close, but they do interest me, especially Cold War airfields. The following is a ‘cut up’ of material from a variety of locations mingled in with some of my own words. Its certainly not a definitive history on Alconbury, more of an overview to accompany the pictures.

Thanks for looking 🙂

RAF Bomber Command use (1939-1941)In September 1939, RAF Upwood squadrons were given operational training roles and Alconbury became RAF Wyton’s satellite under No. 2 Group, Squadron Nos. 12, 40 and 139. These squadrons were frequently deployed to Alconbury, No. 139 being the first to be actually stationed there. Squadrons 15 and 40 converted from Battles to Bristol Blenheim bombers. No. 15 Squadron took up residence on 14 April 1940, when additional requisitioned accommodation was available. It flew its first raid of the war on 10 May against a German occupied airfield near Rotterdam.

In May 1942, RAF Alconbury was allocated to the United States Army Air Force:

The Cold War, Spy Planes & Operation Desert StormIn 1959 with the Cold War hotting up (lame humour..), the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing arrived at Alconbury and over the coming years flew many reconnaissance, electronic warfare and ‘Aggressor Support’ missions.

The Strategic Air Command arrived at Alconbury on 1 October 1982 when the 17th Reconnaissance Wing was activated, bringing with them the U2 and later the TR-1 Spy Plane. These assets required major remodelling of the airfield including Ready Sheds, 13 extra wide Hardened Aircraft Shelters, a Photographic Interpretation Centre and a Nuclear Hardened Command Post/Avionics Suite for the TR-1 spyplanes known only as Building 210 (later nicknamed Magic Mountain).After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the threat of the Cold War vanishing there were rumours that RAF Alconbury would be closed down but then in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Some of the first aircraft to be sent into the Gulf were three TR-1A’s from Alconbury’s 17th Reconnaissance Wing and 23 A-10’s from the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing (511th Tactical Fighter Squadron) were deployed to Saudi Arabia for combat operations.

The 511th TFS A-10s flew no fewer than 1700 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and played an important part in wreaking havoc on Iraqi tank forces, Scud missiles and other ground positions during the conflict.

In recent years things have wound down considerably and in 1995 the USAF returned the base to the MoD (but retaining the Base Support Area under USAF control). The USAF 423d Air Base Squadron and USAF 501st Combat Support Wing still operate from Alconbury.

Wymeswold RAF Station officially opened on 16 May 1942 as a new operational training unit (28OTU), which was part of 93 Group, RAF – although it had been in use since 14 April 1942. The advance party arrived at Castle Donington on 22 May 1942, which was by then selected as a satellite airfield. Initial aircraft for the Group were Vickers Wellingtons MK1C with Westland Lysanders and Miles Martinents under No.7 Group Bomber Command.

The training task continued until mid-October 1944, by which time many hundreds of aircrews had been trained; including Squadron Leader David Penman who was awarded the DSO for his part in the magnificent low-level raid on Augsburg. The senior pupils from the unit represented Wymeswold in the historic ‘Thousand Bomber’ raids. No. 1521 (Blind Approach training) Flight and its Oxfords was additionally resident in 1943–44.

In 1944, with the return of the Allied Forces to Europe, the need for bomber crews decreased, but a greater need for transport aircraft evolved, to serve overseas stations. On 15th October 1944, the station was handed over to 44 Group Transport Command when the job became one of training highly qualified bomber crews for the less hazardous, but equally exacting task, of transports.

Instead of the sight of the Wellingtons and Lancasters, Stirlings and Halifaxes, the Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota arrived with a new resident unit, 108 OTU. The ‘Dak’ found itself flying down the trunk routes opened through the liberated areas of Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. No.108 OTU disbanded in August 1945, and was re-named No. 1382 (Transport Support) Conversation Unit, which remained at Wymeswold, by now in 4 Group, until transferred to North Luffenham in December 1947.

On 3rd May 1949, the station was again transferred, this time to No.12 Group, Fighter Command, becoming the home of No.504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force which had moved in from Hucknall the previous month with its Spitfires. The unit became the third Auxiliary Squadron to receive the Gloster Meteor. It re-equipped with F.Mk.4 aircraft in March 1950, exchanging these for the higher-powered F.Mk.8 just two years later. At the same time, the airfield was host to an unusual civilian aircraft, the Burgoyne-Stirling Dicer which wore the unofficial registration G-AECN, more properly belonging to a defunct Pou de Ciel. The Dicer was kept in a hangar on the airfield until moved to Burton on the Wolds in 1950.

In July 1954, 1969 (Air Observation Post) Flight, a part of No.664 Squadron arrived with Auster AOP.6 and T.7 aircraft from its previous base at Desford. The flight remained at Wymeswold until disbanded on 10th March 1956.

The airfield took up another role in August 1955 with the arrival of No.56 (Phoenix) Squadron from Waterbeach. Following an unsuccessful year with the Swift F.Mk.1 and F.Mk.2, the squadron re-equipped with the Hunter G.Mk.5 in May 1955, and retired to Wymeswold to work-up to operational standard on its new mounts. With the Hunter firmly established, No.56 Squadron returned home to be replaced by No.257 and No.263 Squadrons, who were in the process of converting from the Hunter F.Mk.2 to the F.Mk.5, and in need of a temporary base while the runways at their Wittisham base were being resurfaced.

Air displays in the 1950s saw many types of aircraft – among them No.92 Squadron Sabres; Chipmunks of Nottingham University Air Squadron; No.211 AFS (later re-named 4FTS) Meteors; Dart Kitten G-AMJP of the Grimsby Flying School; United States Air Force F-84s and B.45s and the Royal Canadian Air Force Bristol Freighters.

The increasing cost of maintaining jet aircraft was responsible for the disbandment of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1957, and after almost three decades of service, No.504 Squadron disbanded on 12th February. After this the airfield continued for a time as a satellite station for RAF Syerston (from where in 1946, 504 Squadron had flown Mosquito aircraft). Syerston’s aircraft were Hunting Provost trainers, later replaced by the Jet Provost and operated by the resident 2 Flying Training School. In the late ’50s and early ’60, these could be seen carrying out touch and goes (or ‘circuits and bumps’) as part of the training procedure for fledgling pilots.

Runway resurfacing work at the nearby airfield at Hucknall resulted in Wymeswold being host to part of the Rolls Royce aircraft test-bed fleet between January 1955 and February 1956. Particularly significant among the Hunter F.1s and Canberras on Avon development flying were two Avro Ashtons – the first (WE670) had been modified with spray gear for icing trials by Napiers at Luton, made its first flight from Hucknall with an Avon RA14 under its belly, and duly landed at Wymeswold, from, where it was operated until February 1956. The ‘Conway’ Ashton (WB491), which had also been kitted out at Napiers, arrived in November 1955.

In the late ’50s, Field Aircraft Services obtained a number of overhaul contracts that were soon to bring a wide variety of exotically marked aircraft to Wymeswold. There began the overhaul of large numbers of European-based RCAF Sabres and T-33ANs (also the odd CF-100 Mk4.B Canuck) between early 1958 and late 1962. Another, brought a number of USAF and USN SC-54D Searchmasters and R5D-1s to be worked on in the lone ‘black’ hangar in the middle of the airfield. They were supplemented by numerous diverse civil contracts, involving Viking, C-47, Prince, President, Viscount, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7 and Marathon aircraft, as well as a lone Hudson CF-CRJ, which seemed to linger between March 1963 and May 1964.

A decision by Field Aircraft Services to move their operation to the newly constructed regional ‘East Midlands Airport’ at Castle Donington was to prove the beginning of the end for Wymeswold as an active airfield, and by the end of April 1969, only three aircraft remained; a DC-3 (G-AMYJ), a ‘Conair’ DC-7 (OY-DFR) and a ‘Bahamas Air’ Viscount (VP-BCD), of which the latter had been in evidence since early 1967.

Built around 1955 as a Remote Weapons Store for RAFWittering after the airfield changed use over several years from a Fighter Station to a Bomber Command Station, now decommissioned and awaiting ‘Adaptive Reuse’,Collyweston ESA is a fascinating site set deep in the woods with an eerie silence across it, occasionally punctuated by calling Red Kites soaring high above the treetops.A Yarnold Sangar Pillbox with an extra section on it forms part of the gate defences adjacent to a Guard House, Sub Station, Mains Room and Admin buildings, various roadways open up and 10 Bomb Maintenance Buildings are located towards the front of the site, the revetted buildings reportedly for 1000lb High Explosive bombs and Cluster Bomb Units.

Behind this and deep into the compound are rows and rows of explosive storage units: Thirty ‘Dutch Barns’ (some demolished) for storage of BL755 Cluster Bombs (manufactured by Hunting Engineering in Ampthill, Bedfordshire), several more 1000lb HE storage buildings, 68mm SNEB Rocket storage buildings and perhaps the most interesting, nine hardened ‘Igloo’ cells with filtered air supply and totally enclosed electrical supplies. These hardened units were used for storing ‘unspecified’ American explosives from RAF Lakenheath.

Given the size and construction of the Igloo cells compared to the other buildings and the fact they are the farthest away from the RAF Wittering runway, whatever was in these shelters were some serious toys. Contrary to popular theories though, this site was never used for Project E weapons, these type of weapons remained in the Igloos at RAF Wittering SSA as the US Military insisted that such weapons were never dispersed. This caused some conflict with the RAF who would rather have dispersed the V Force at times of high political tension. The SSA at RAF Wittering is still intact, although derelict and the unusual Fissile Core Stores can still be seen. Both the ESA and SSA share common design features and some of the doors are identical at both sites.

The site has also been used for many illegal raves over the years, mainly by the An Watt Sound System on Bank Holiday weekends. The kiddie ravers have left a massive amount of rubbish on site now, it’s down to them that thousands of mini ‘Nangs/Whippits‘ cartridges, NOS balloons and bigger NOS Bottles now carpet most of the site.

I don’t have a problem with illegal raves, been to plenty myself, just clear your shit up when you leave, that’s all…

In recent years ‘travellers’ have helped themselves to miles of 3-phase armoured cable, pipework for the underground fire prevention system and virtually all of the aluminium lamp posts. The Mains Room has been gutted and there’s even been an attempt to remove the Sub Station!

RAF Kings Cliffe opened in 1943, was operational until 1959 and was assigned USAAF designation Station 367, it was home to the 20th Fighter Group of the USAAF 8th Airforce who flew P38 Lightnings and later P51 Mustangs on bomber escort duties & ; also the 56th Fighter Group of the USAAF 8th Airforce who flew P-47 Thunderbolts. When the war finished the airfield was used by the RAF for armament storage up until 1959 when it was sold and turned back to agricultural use which continues to this day.

Sadly all of the hangars and most of the Technical Site have been demolished and in recent months some Stanton Shelters have also been demolished to make way for some currently unknown construction. There are however many smaller buildings still intact such as M&E Plinths, Substations, Sleeping Quarters, Motor Transport Repair, PBX, several defended Fighter Pens with work area, Mushroom Pillboxes, a Battle Headquarters, miscellaneous buildings and of course the Control/Watch Tower.

This visit focused mainly on the perimeter track and outlying defences, a planned return visit in winter (with less undergrowth!!) will concentrate more on the Technical and Communal Sites.

For BHQ geeks you will notice that the Battle Headquarters here isn’t sunk fully into the ground like most are, at least I think that’s the case, I guess the ground could have been removed over the years?, but that doesn’t explain the fully sunken Cantilever/Mushroom Pillbox right next to it…..weird!! Sadly despite it being higher than many this one is flooded to a depth of approx 3ft and always seems to be. The Cupola is still accessible (and dry) via the Emergency Escape hatch though.

There’s lots of pix so I’m posting this across multiple days…..enjoy 🙂

Straying from the Cold War theme slightly here is my attraction to old airfields, I’m not big on WW2 stuff but these places provide a certain draw to me and I’m lucky to have many old RAF/USAF sites very near to my house. A full report on one of these sites will follow in the near future but for now here’s a small article on Cantilever Pillboxes.

Cantilever Pillboxes, more commonly known as Mushroom Pillboxes are found only on airfields and mainly in the East of England, they are of a circular design, partially sunken into the ground and have a 360 degree embrasure (opening) to allow weapon fire to be layed down in any direction. Just inside the embrasure and attached to the brickwork is a circular gun rail so a machine gun could be moved almost anywhere in the pillbox to lay down fire.

The construction of these two are of a circular brick built base with a central cruciform wall which in turn supports a poured concrete dome. The example in the photo’s below is from RAF Grafton Underwood and was in a defensive position at the north end of the No.1 Runway. A second Mushroom Pillbox is also present on this site but the roof has sadly collapsed.

The airfield was opened in 1941 and was first used by the RAF Bomber Command 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit with Liberators. The original runways were approximately 1,600 yards and 1,100 yards in length. The runways were not suitable for the operation of heavy, four-engined bombers so the airfield was upgraded to Class A, including the lengthening of the runways to the required 2,000 yards for the main and 1,400 yards for each of the others, started in late 1942.

As a result of this Grafton Underwood was assigned United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force in 1942. Its designation was USAAF Station 106. The airfield became a major base for the USAF and many squadrons were based there during WW2 – 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy).